# Member Lounge > Miscellaneous >  Does the ISP number give info on the user's location ?

## Maciamo

Is it possible to know from which country someone is connected only with the ISP number ? What other information does the ISP number give ?

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## thomas

Let's play with my IP address.

I'm in Europe, so I run it through RIPE's database

=> http://www.ripe.net/ripencc/pub-serv...ois/whois.html

Result:



```
% This is the RIPE Whois server.
% The objects are in RPSL format.
%
% Rights restricted by copyright.
% See http://www.ripe.net/ripencc/pub-serv...copyright.html
inetnum:      80.108.0.0 - 80.111.255.255
netname:      AT-TELEKABEL-20010719
descr:        Chello Broadband GmbH
descr:        Provider Local Registry
country:      AT
country:      BE
country:      FR
country:      NL
country:      NO
country:      SE
admin-c:      HTK1-RIPE
tech-c:       HTK1-RIPE
status:       ALLOCATED PA
mnt-by:       RIPE-NCC-HM-MNT
mnt-lower:    CHELLO-MNT
mnt-routes:   CHELLO-MNT
changed:      [email protected] 20010719
source:       RIPE
route:        80.108.0.0/16
descr:        UPC Technology
origin:       AS6830
mnt-by:       CHELLO-MNT
changed:      [email protected] 20020716
source:       RIPE
role:         Hostmaster Telekabel Wien
address:      chello Broadband GmbH
address:      Internet Services
address:      Reumannplatz 7
address:      A-1100 Vienna
address:      Austria
phone:        +43 1 96062 5000
fax-no:       +43 1 96062 5666
e-mail:       [email protected]
trouble:      [email protected]
admin-c:      AK991-RIPE
tech-c:       SB666-RIPE
tech-c:       MH392-RIPE
tech-c:       AK991-RIPE
nic-hdl:      HTK1-RIPE
notify:       [email protected]
mnt-by:       CHELLO-MNT
changed:      [email protected] 20020318
source:       RIPE

```

Unless you're using services like Anomymizer or log in through proxy servers, it's easy to find out where someone's from. There are more sophisticated tools to track down spammers and their ilk. Do you need any particular info?
;)

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## Maciamo

Well, actually I wasn't looking after spammer, but that's a good idea. I was just interested in knowing where were my sites's visitors from, because relatively few take the polls and answer this question.

Is there a trick to guess the country of origin just with the IP number ? For instance, do the first numbers refer directly to a country ?

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## thomas

No, IP addresses are allocated to ISPs in blocks. You can just query the DB to find out which block belongs to whom.

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## Maciamo

I didn't know about "whois", so I searched and found that there are 5 main zones :

North America = ARIN : http://www.arin.net/whois/index.html
Europe/Middle-East/North Africa = RIPE : http://www.ripe.net/perl/whois 
Asia-Pacific = APNIC : http://www.apnic.org/search/index.html
Latin America = LACNIC : whois.lacnic.net 
Africa = AfriNIC (Whois run by ARIN)

I guess it's not possible to find out somebody's postal address through this ?

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## thomas

No, only ISPs postal addresses and locations are listed. 

If the person in question registered a domain name you could find out address, tel # etc, but a lot of this personal info is fake. I'm using my post box # for domain registrations. We should cherish that bit of privacy we still have on internet, lol.

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## Maciamo

I was a bit scared at first when I saw your IP detail, that the address was yours and that everybody at free access to anybody's private info. I feel reassured now  :Relieved:

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## thomas

My first reaction to WhoIs and tracer tools was exactly the same. 

 :Eek:  =>  :Embarrassment:  =>  :Poh:  =>  :Clap:

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## SirJeannot

we're in no way anonymous  :Embarrassment:

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## Twisted

And if you have nothing to hide, then there is no reason to be anonymous anyway. 
Most people make such a fuss about their privacy. What are they affraid of? I've never heard any solid arguments about why privacy is so important to people.

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## thomas

Hm, I agree with you, partially. I wouldn't like to have my actual address or telephone no. published on internet, virtual spam is enough, lol. I also don't want anyone to trace my online behaviour through cookies or other nifty devices. It's not about hiding things, it's about preventing abuse.

Just my 2 eurocents.  :Smilie:

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## Twisted

True, there are a lot of rotten apples in the marketing world. Then again, if my online behaviour would be monitored and used in an used honest way, it would be for the better.

I mean, if i have to get spam, then i'd rather get it about things i'm interested in. If marketing would be targeted properly, they wouldn't try to sell me 2 extra inches, Viagra and bigger breasts anymore.  :Smilie:

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## SirJeannot

tracert or visual route give a lot of information (i love the map  :Laughing:  )

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## thomas

Yesterday I installed a nice admin feature that shows me where members and visitors are located (not only the country, but the city). It works in 80% of the cases, depending on how the user's server is set up. 

That's quite impressive.  :Angel:

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## Maciamo

Can we have a look at that ?

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## thomas

Here's a screenshot. It links to a third-party website.

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